Room heater



'ug. 11, 1936. R, H, JORDAN '2,050,333

ROOM HEATER WITNESSES: INVENTOR //c/wfdm/rda/y. y Zzzzo l Meg/3 ATTORNEY R. H. JORDAN Aug. 11, 14936.

ROOM HEATER Filed April 24, 1935 2 Shees-SlxeeI 2 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 11, 1936 nooM HEATER.

Richard H. Jordan, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 24, 1935, Serial No. 17,918

9 Claims.

My invention relates to electrically heated devices and more particularly to electric air heaters.

It is an object of my invention to provide a relatively simple, compact and easily assembled air heater of the portable type.

Another object of my invention is to provide a portable air or room heater that shall include an extended heatingl element and a fan for causlO ing air to move through the device and past the electric heating element.

Other objects of my invention will either be apparent from the following description of one form of device embodying my invention or will l5 be pointed out specifically hereinafter.

In' practicing my invention I provide a threepart casing structure including front and rear cover members, and a plurality of axially extending bars secured to the respective front and rear covers to hold them in proper operative positions relatively to each other. The front and rear covers are provided with integral perforated central portions through which air may be moved to be caused to circulate in a room. The extended electric heating element is supported by refractory electric insulating members interlocked with an annular strip Supported -by the spacing and cover securing strips, while an electric-motor-driven fan is supported by certain of said spacing strips in spaced relation relative to and back of the electric heating element.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in vertical diametral section of a room heater embodying my invention and taken on the line I-I of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section therethrough taken on the line II--II of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, I provide a front cover member i I which includes a sheet metal mem.-

ber whose upper contour is shown in the righthand upper portion of Fig. l of the `drawings to provide an imperiorate outer peripheral portionl and includes also a perforated central portion or grid I3 of any suitable or desired shape but which is shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings as including a plurality of relatively narrow spaced portions i5 connected by bridging members Il. I do not desire to be limited to the particular details of the central grid since any other open portion may be used. The lower part of the front cover member Il is made relatively lat or straight and includes an integral in-turned portion I9 which may be provided with a strip 2| of heat insulating material as well as with relatively short supporting members or legs (Cl. 21S-39) 23, to permit of supporting the assembly on a. convenient horizontally extending tableor other supporting means.

A rear cover member 25 is of substantially the same general construction and contour as has 5 hereinbefore been described for front cover member Il and includes a central grid 21 as well as an in-turned bottom portion or strip 29 having a strip of heat insulating material 3| secured thereto at its bottom surface and having also a l0 pair of supporting members or legs 33 secured thereto adjacent the lateral ends thereof.

As may be noted particularly by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the inner edges of covers Il and 25 are bent radially outwardly at the 15 top, as indicated at v35 and 31, respectively, to provide a relatively small shoulder for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A plurality of small clips 39, each of the shape shown by the uppermost one of such clips in Fig. 1 of the drawings, 20 are suitably secured adjacent one end thereof to the inside surface of the cover members to cooperate With the bent out edge portions 35 and 3l to provide seating means or jaws for an intermediate spacing band di which is of such width 25 as will space the two cover members apart a suitable distance to provide an enclosing structure for other elements of my device to be hereinafter described. it will be noted that the respective edges of strip di, which does not extend 30 entirely around the periphery of the assembly, but is omitted at the bottom portion thereof are adapted to fit snugly in the receiving portions constituted by the bent out portions 35 and 3l and the adjacent clips 39 constituted by small 35 pieces of metal.

Means for holding the two cover members in tightly adjacent relation relatively to and on each side of the spacing band M may comprise a plurality of spacing strips t3, 45, l1 and 49 which 40 may be made of strips of metal having their end portions extending at right angles relatively to the main portion thereof, as will be noted more particularly by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The bent over or flange portion 5I of the topmost 45 strip @3 may be secured against the inside face of front cover il, as by being spot welded thereagainst. The end flange portions of the other members d5, 4l and 49 engaging the front cover il may also be similarly welded thereagainst. The 50 corresponding end ilanges on the spacing strips in engagement with the rear cover member 25 are not welded theretoy but are held by removable screws 53 extending through suitable openings in the rear cover member 25 and having screw- 55 threaded engagement with the respective bentout portions of the spacing strips. A handle 55 may be provided atthe top of the casing in engagement with the rear cover member 25 to permit oi' carrying the device.

Means for supporting an extended or spread out electric heating element adjacent to and within the front cover i l may include a substantially annular strip 5l' which may be spot welded to the respective spacing strips lil to fit, inclusive, where it is in engagement therewith, and which includes also a plurality of recessed or shoulder portions 59, the shape of which is apparent from Fig. 2 of the drawings. The substantially hori- Zontally extending portions of the shoulder portions E59 are provided with rectangular openings [Si to receive a refractory resistor-supporting elernent which includes in addition to a substantially circular head 63 (see Fig. 2) a perforated portion which is substantially hat, as will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. The dimensions of openings tl are such that the refractory resistor-supporting members are of the interlocking type; that is, they must be turned through substantially after having been inserted flatwise through the opening El in order to permit or receiving and supporting an extended electric heating element till which may comprise a length of helically wound resistor wire of the proper dimension and length to provide the desired amount of heat when traversed by an electric current. lt may be noted here that the uppermost spacing strip i3 is also perforated to cooperate with an opening in the upper most part of annular meinber bl to receive one of the refractory electric insulating resistor supporting members.

Terminal members tu are provided at each side of the annular strip 5l and are supported in electric insulating bushings 'il which extend through suitable openings in band or strip 5l' and are held in proper operative position by a spring ring 'i3 :tting into a peripheral groove in the reduced rear end portion of bushing il. The respective ends of the resistor wire d? are connected to terminals tu which extend through bushings il and are held therein by a plurality of nuts in a manner well known in the art.

Means for forcing air through the structure includes a small motor driven fan blade assembly which is mounted on a rotor shaft lll which is, in turn, rotatably mounted in a bearing structure iii, the shaft W supporting also a rotor iii which may be of any suitable or desired type for operation on `either a direct current circuit or an alternating current circuit and which is here shown as a squirrel cage rotor. A co-acting stator structure includes a set of stator laminations 83 and a eld coil properly supported thereon, which eld coil is illustrated generally only by front and rear field spool walls t5 and 3l within which are wound a suitable number of turns of relatively heavy wire, in accordance with a familiar practice. 2i have illustrated a bipolar stator structure and may here point out that in the present embodiment shown in the drawings the stator energizing winding is connected in series circuit relation relatively to the heating element lil.

The bearing structure 'i9 as well as the stator structure 83 is operatively supported by a diametrically extending strip 89 having an opening in its central portion into which the bearing structure 'i9 is forced, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The stator structure $33 is supported in proper operative position relatively to the rotor structure as by being secured against the supporting strip 39 by top and bottom rivets ul extending not only through the stator laminations but also through the strip 89.

The upper and lower end portions of the motor supporting strip 89 extend substantially at right 5 angles to the main portion thereof and engage the inner face of the upper spacing strip 43 and lower spacing strip lll'. Short machine screws 93 With cooperating nuts thereon extend through the spacing strips and the end flanges of the strip 89 to properly secure this supporting strip in between the upper and the lower spacing strips. The spacing strip 5.13 is provided with a small opening tl therein for receiving a small bent out portion 99 of strip 89 at its upper end and the lower strip i'i is provided with a similar opening lul therein in which there extends a struclrout portion iil'l so that the diametrally extending supporting strip 89 is not only supported by the upper and lower spacing strips but is also interlocked therethrough to prevent any turning movement thereon of the spacing strip t9 relatively to the securing and clamping screws 93. Means for oiling the single bearing t9 may comprise an olling tube lub which is of substantially L shape in contour and is supported by the supporting strip t@ intermediate its ends. The pipe ltd extends tov within a short distance of the rear grid 2l, while its inner depending end extends within a small opening lill in the upper part of 30 the bearing structure 39.

A control switch ille, shown generally only as a toggle switch, and having an actuating handle ill extending outwardly through the rear cover 25 is secured to the rear cover adjacent the lower 35 portion thereof. A twin conductor cord M3 of the kind now supplied with devices of this kind for connecting them to a suitable contact socket has a portion thereof extending through a bushing lib of electric insulating material located near the lower edge of the rear cover 25. One conductor l lll thereof is connected to one of the terminals t@ hereinbefore described, while the other conductor lli) extends to a terminal of switch lut). A conductor [20 connects one terminal or one portion of the field or stator winding to the other terminal of switch lili'l, while a second conductor H23 connects the other terminal of heating element 6l to the other terminal of the stator energizing winding. The connections are such, as has already been hereinbefore noted, that the energizing winding of the motor and the heating winding @l are connected in series circuit relation with each other. i metal clip i2@ may be provided adjacent to the lower spacing strip il? and held by one of the screws @il to hold the inner end of the twin conductor cord M3.

The device embodying my invention thus provides an electric air heater comprising an extended heating element and a motor-driven fan, both of which are supported from spacing strips secured to the front and rear cover members, which spacing strips not only support the heating element and the motor-driven fan, but also d5 hold the front and rear cover members in proper operative tight engagement with a spacing band located between the inner edge portions of the front and rear cover members. The device embodying my invention further provides inter- 7o locking resistor or heating-element supporting members as well as a motor-supporting means interlocked with the spacing strips which hold the front and rear cover members in their proper operative positions.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such llmitationsshall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrical device comprising in combination, a front cover and a rear cover, each having substantially parallel outer portions and inner portions inclined toward each other, a spacing band whose edges interiit with the inner edges of said inclined portions of the respective covers, spacing strips secured to said parallel portions of the covers and holding them in said interiitting relation with the spacing band, and a current-conducting element operatively supported by the spacing strips.

2. An electrical heating device comprising in combination, an extended heating element, a motor-driven fan, a front cover and a rear cover, each having substantially parallel outer portions and inner portions inclined toward each other, a spacing band between said inclined portions of the covers, and means extending between said parallel portions of the covers for holding them in proper operative positions against the spacing band and for supporting the heating element and the motor-driven fan. l

3. An electrical heating device comprising in combination, an extended heating element, a motor-driven fan, a front cover and a rear cover each having spaced bifurcated portions, a spacing band fitting in said bifurcated portions of the covers, a plurality of spacing strips extending between the covers and secured thereto to hold them against the edges of the spacing band, an annular strip supported by the spacing strips. and a plurality of refractory members supported by the annular strip and supporting the extended heating element.

4. An electrical heating device comprising in combination, front and rear cover members of dished shape, a plurality of clips secured to the respective covers adjacent the inner edges thereof and cooperating therewith to provide a plurality of jaws, a spacing band located between the covers and having its edges fitting in said jaws, an extended plane heating element inside the front cover and a plurality of spacing strips extending between the front and rear covers and secured thereto to hold them tightly against the spacing band and operatively supporting the heating element.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 and including a motor-driven fan'spaced from the heating element and means supporting it from certain of the spacing strips.

6. A device as set forth in claim 4 and including a motor-driven fan spaced from the heating element and a diametrally-extending bar secured to certain of said spacing strips and sup- 2 porting the motor-driven fan.

'1. A device as set forth in claim 4 and including a motor-driven fan spaced from the heating element and a diametrally-extending bar having intertting engagement with certain of said spacing bars and supporting the motordriven fan.

8. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which the refractory members are held in interlocking engagement with the annular strip by the heat- 3o ing element.

9. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which the annular strip has apertures with one lateral dimension longer than the other and the refractory members embody a plurality of heatingelement-supporting portions inserted through the 35 respective apertures and having one lateral dimension longer than the other, the normal working position of each of said heating-elementsupporting portions being such that its longer dimension is transverse to the longer dimension of the cooperating aperture.

.RICHARD n. JORDAN. 

